Bundle forming and wrapping mechanism



Sept. 28 1 26.

G. L. FULK BUNDLE FORMING AND WRAPPING MECHANISM Filed May 2, 1925 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 28 1926.

G. L. FULK BUNDLE FORMING AND WRAPPING MECHANISM Filed May2, 1925 '7 Sheets-Sheet 2 W3 .2: 3; QNL

Sept. 28 1926. 1,601,433

I G. L. FULK BUNDLE FORMING AND WRAPPING MECHANISM Filed May 2, 1923 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 gwuenhz Sept. 28, 1926. 1,601,433

(5. L. FULK BUNDLE'FORMING AND WRAPPING MECHANISM Filed May 2, 1923 l '7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Sept. 28 1926'.

G. L. FULK BUNDLE FORMING AND WRA PPING MECHANISM,

Filed May 2 1925 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 hwfi wa Sept. 28, 1926.

G. L. FULK BUNDLE FORMI NG AND WRAPPING MECHANISM Filed May 2. 1923 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 F mi 66 61m: wags 1,601,433 (5 L. FULK BUNDLE FORMING AND WRAPPING MECHANISM Filed May 2, 1923 7 SheetsSheet '7 Sept. 28 1926.

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Patented Sept. 28, 1926.

UNITED STATES i 1,601,433 PATENT OFFICE- GEORGE L. FULK, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE POSTAL SUPPLY 8c MANU- FACTURINGOOMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

BUNDLE FORMING AND Application filed May 2,

This invention relates to abundle forming and wrapping attachment for printing or other machines of the type in which sheets, cards, slips or the like are continuously delivered at a rapid rate.

The present invention is applicable to machines of various kinds but has been designed particularly for use in connection with the printing machine disclosed in my prior Patent No. 1,282,211, granted Oct. 22, 1918, which in operation continuously discharges at a very rapid rate printed slips which are formed by printing suitabledata at intervals upon a continuous strip of material and cutting the strip, as it is discharged, into slips of a predetermined length. the machine are so designed that certain of the data on successive slips of a series comprising a predetermined number of slips varies and other data is constant for each series of successive slips but variesin each successive series. After their discharge from the machine the slips are wrapped in bundles, each bundle comprising one series of successively discharged slips.

The present invention is designed to automatically stack the discharged slips in a receiving magazine to periodically remove the accumulated slips from the magazine when a complete series has been deposited therein,

without interfering with the continuous feeding of slips to the magazine, to convey the pack of slips so removed from themaga- 4 zine to a suitable wrapping mechanism and to wrap each pack so removed wh1leanother series of slips is accumulating in the magazine. While the present invention is shown in connection with a printing machine, it is also applicable to other machines in which slips, cards or similar articles are delivered in rapid succession, the term slips as herein used being intended to include all articles of this character. I

It is an object of the present invention to provide, in connection with a magazine'to which slips of sheet material are delivered in rapid succession, a device for automatically and periodically removing a pack of slips from the magazine and wrapping the same.

A further object is to provide'means for f removing all of the slips from the magazine whenever a been delivers thereto.

A. further object is to so time the opera The printing instrumentalities of )redetermined number have WRAPPING MECHANISM.

1923. Serial No. 636,255.

A further object is to provide in conneci tion a printing machine, a pack forming and wrapping attachment automatically controlled from a part of the printing mechanism. V

A further object is to provide, in connec' tion with a printing machine designed to print successive series of slips with varying data thereon and which may be adjusted to vary the number of slips in such series, a pack forming and wrapping attachment which is so controlled from the printing mechanism that each pack contains one'complete series of such slips.

A further object is toprovide means forv compressing the slips in the magazine and maintaining the strips in a compact pack while they are being removed from the magazine to the wrapping mechanism and while the pack is being wrapped.

lVith the above and other objects in view. the invention may be said to comprise the elements and combinations hereinafter described and claimed, together with such variations and modifications thereof aswill, .be obvious to those skilled in the art.

Reference should be had to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a top I plan view showing a part of the stacking and bundling mechanism and a portion of the printing machine to which the same is applied; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig, 1; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the slip stacking and bundling mechanism looking toward the discharge end of the printing machine, said mechanism being disposed transversely with'respect to the direction of movement of the printing machine; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showingthe slip cutter and a portion of the pack forming and extracting mechanism; Fig. 5'is a fragmentary top lan jview showing the slip cutter and pac er;

a plan. view at the double canteentrolling the operation of-the pack shifting carriage and the wire feeding and cutting mechanism; Fig. 7 is a plan view of the double cam controlling the operation of the pack wrapping and wire tying mechanism; Fig. 8 is a fragmentary top plan view showing the pack receiving portion of the wrapping mechanism and the pack shifting carriage in position to deliver a pack of slips thereto; Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the pack shifting carriage; Fig. 10 is a front elevation of the pack shifting carriage; Fig. 11 is a side elevation of the bundle receiving and holding portion of the wrapping mechanism together with the wire guides associated therewith; Fig. 12 is a vertical section on line 22 of Fig. 11 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; Fig. 13 is an ele vation of the pack receiving portion of the wrapping mechanism looking toward the receiving side thereof, i. e. toward the left in Figs. 3, 8 and 11; Fig. 1a is a fragmentary top plan view showing the wrapping mechanism together with the wire guides associated therewith; Fig. 15 is a detail view showing the pack supporting slide in side elevation; Fig. 16 is a fragmentary top plan view showing the shiftable wire feeding carriage; Fig. 17 is a sectional elevation looking toward the right in Figs. 3 and 16 and showing the wire feeding and cutting mechanism; Fig. 18 is an elevation of the wire feeding carriage from the side opposite that shown in 12; Fig. 19 is a side elevation of the pawl and ratchet mechanism through which the wire feeding rolls are driven; Fig. 20 is a side elevation of the wire tying device; Fig. 21 is a top plan view of the wire tying device; Fig. 22 is a section taken on line 2222 of Fig. 20; Fig. 23 is a bottom plan view of the wire tying device showing the fixed wire guiding and holding members.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing the printing machine to which the present invention is applied has an endless chain of plates A and other printing instrumentalities B between the endless chain A and the discharge end of the machine. The printing plates A and the printing mechanism B operate successively upon a continuous strip of sheet material C to print the desired data upon successive portions of the strip C. The printed matter on each of the plates A is different from that of any of the other plates and as many plates may be connected to the endless chain as may be desired. The subjectinatter printed on the strip C by means of the printing instrumentalities B is constant for each series of printed data produced by the endless chain of plates and may be varied for each successive series as set forth in my prior patent above referred to. The printed matter upon the strips C is on successive portions of equal length and the strip G is cut into lengths between successive printed portions at the discharge end of the machine. It will thus be seen that successive series of slips are formed, the number of slips in the series depending upon the number of plates in the endless chain.

The present invention is designed to automatically form each series of slips into a compact pack or bundle as the slips are delivered from the machine and to individually wrap each pack or bundle soformed. The arrangement of the various parts of the bundling and wrapping mechanism is best shown in Fig. 8 of. the drawing in which D designates generally the strip cutting and stacking mechanism. E the transfer carriage which conveys the packs of strips formed in the stacking mechanism to a wrapping device F to which the wire which is wrapped about the bundles is fed by a wire feeding and cutting mechanism G and which wraps the wire about the bundle and positions the wire to be engaged by the wire tying mechanism H.

The general sequence of operations is as follows;

The strip C is cut into slips of equal length as it is discharged from the printing machine. the strips are stacked and com,- pressed in a suitable magazine and at suitable intervals are stripped from the magazine into the transfer carriage E which as soon as the transferring operation is eoinpleted is shifted toward the wrapping mechanism F. Simultaneously with the actuation of the carriage E the wire feeding mechanism G is started into operation and delivers a suitable length of wire to the wrapping mechanism. \Vhen the carriage E has positioned the pack of slips directly over the wrapping mechanism F the wrapping mechanism F is actuated to wrap the length of wire which has been delivered to it about the bottom and sides of the pack of slips and to position the ends of the wire between the clamping jaws of the tying mechanism H, the operation of which is so timed that it begins to operate upon the completion of the movement of the wrapping mechanism. During the tying operation, the transfer carriage E is moved back to its original position beneath the slip receiving magazine ready to receive another pack of slips. The mechanism actuating the 'earriag-e wire feeding and wrapping and tying mechanism being disconnected upon the return of the carriage E to its feeding position.

The strip C after passing through the delivery rolls of the printing machine slides over the bed 1 of the printing machine adjacent the end of which is a magazine to receive the slips and a disc 3, at the edge of the bed 1, which is continuously rotated at a proper speed to out slips of the desired length, the disk 3 being provided with a blade at projecting from the periphery thereof. The blade t moves acr es the edge of the bed 1 and severs the strip each time that it movesacross the end of the bed 1. As shown in the magazine 1 is provided with a follower 5 which is carried by a slice 6 which moves in a vertical under cut slot in the post 7 at the rear of the inagazinc the slide 6 being suspended by av suitable coil spring 8 so that the slips in the magazine are subjected to an upward pressure and the follower 5 will instantly return to its uppermost position after the pack of The slips which are forced down into the magazine as they are discharged from the printing machine are retained against upward movementby means of suitable spring latches 9 which are pivoted to suitable brackets outside the magazine and project through suitable slots into the magazine. A short distance above the uppermost position ofthe follower there is a yielding support for the slips in the form of harsh) which are pivoted to suitable brackets outside the magazine adjacent its inner and outer ends and project through slots 11 in the front and rear walls thereof. The bars 19 are normally held in horizontal position by means of coil springs 12 which are connected to the outer ends of the bars and to the magazine beneath the same. The first slips delivered into the empty magazine are deposited upon the bars which are gradually forced down as the slips accumulate until the slips rest upon the follower 5 and the bars 10 occupy a vertical position in the slots 11'. The purpose of the bars/1O is to provide means for receiving and holding a number of slips fed to the magazine while a pack upon the follower 5 is being discharged and the follower 5 is returning to receiving position. The slips as they are severed by the knife 4; are forceddown into themagazine and past the latches 9 by means of striker arms 18 which operate in slots 14 in the front and rear walls of the magazine. The striker arms 13 are rigidly attached to a horizontal block 15 having trunnions at its ends which are journaled in a channel bracket 16 at the rear of the magazine. The arms a plate 17 bolt-ed to the upper face of the block 15 so that the arms 13 can be quickly replaced if broken or bent during the opera-- tion of the machine. Rigidly attached to the inner end of the block 15 is an upwardly eivtending arm 18 whichis connected by means of a link 19 to the outer face of the cutter disk 8 so that at each revolution of the disk 3 the arms 13 are swung down into the n'iagazine and returned to a position connection bebar 31 is normally held in engaging position by means ofa coil spring 33 which is atclear or the magazine. The

'. tween the oscillating arms liland the rotary disk 3 is such that the arms 13 are above the slips has been removed therefrom.

clamped to the block 15 by means or" magazine and clear of the incoming strip as it is being delivered to the magazine and when the knife 4 moves across the end-of thebed 1 to sever a strip, the arms 13 are moving alongside the knife so that the strip. is instantly forced down into the magazine hen a complete series of slips has been delivered to the magazine 2, the pack of slips in the magazine is automatically stripped from the magazine and delivered into the transfer carriage. The pack stripping mechanism which is best shown in Figs. 3 and 1 will now be described The slips. are stripped from the magazine by means of a stripper arm 20 which ias a forwardly projecting hook portion 21. adapted to be projected into the magazine and to engage the top of a pack of strips therein. The stripper arm 20 has a laterally projecting pin 22 adjacent its upper end which trave s during its upward and down ward movement in parallel grooves 23 and 24 formed in the outer face of the vertical post 7. The grooves 23 and 24 are connected at their upper and lower ends and the pin 22 is caused to move from one groove to the other by means of gate'cams 25 and 26, the upper of which is set to cause the pin to travel from the rear groove 24 to the 23 and the lower of which is set to cause the pin 22 to travel from the forward groove to the rear groove. The hook 21 in the movement of the stripper arm is thus caused to project into the magazine above the pack of slips therein during downward movement of the stripper arm and to clear the magazine during the upward movement of the stripper arm. The stripper arm 20 is pivoted at its lower end to-a slide 27 which travels in a vertical groove '28 formed in the outer face of the vertical post 7. A rearwardly projecting link 29 is pivoted at its forward end of the slide 27 and at its rear end to the upper end of a link 30 which in turn is pivoted at its lower end to the frame. A strong coil spring 30 is connected at its upper end to the link 29 and at its lower end to a suitable fixed support and serves when the stripper arm is relased to move the slide 27 downwardly at a rapid rate to strip the slips from the magazine. The stripper arm 20 is normally retained in its uppermost positionby means of a latch 31 which is pivforward groove oted to the post 7 and engages a suitable lug32 at the upperend of the arm 20. The lug 32, is engaged by the latch 31 just after the pin 22 has passed the upper spring pressed gate 25 of the cam groove and holds the upper end of the arm 20 against; move- 22 being ment toward the magazine the pin in engagement with the inclined upper face of the gate 25 which holds the stripper arm against downward movement. The latch outer end thereof.

tached to the outer end of the latch bar and to the rear face of the post 7 above the same, the downward movement of the latch bar 31 being limited by a suitable stop pin It will thus be seen that whenever the actuating the latch. bar 31 at suitable intervals, a link is connected to the rear end thereof and extends downwardly and is attached at its lower end to the outer end of a link 36 which is pivoted at its inner end to the bracket 16. A trip bar 37 is pivoted intermediate its ends to an intermediate portion of the link 36 and is connected at its lower end to a coil spring which in turn is connected to the bracket 16 adjacent the A trip wire 39 also connected to the lower end of the trip arm 37 and extends along the printing machine to an actuating lever 40 which is mounted on a horizontalpivot alongside the endless chain and overlies the upper run of the chain. A striker plate 41 is attached to the underside of the block 15 and projects forwardly over the link 36. The trip arm 37 is normally held clear of the striker plate 41 by means of the coil spring 38, but whenever the lever 40 is engaged by a lug 2 which is carried upon one of the links of the endless chain A, the trip arm 37 will be swung over under the trip plate 41 so that it will be engaged by the trip plate upon its downward movement, swinging the link 36 down wardly and lifting the latch 31 out of engagement with the lug 32 of the stripper arm 20. As hereinbefore set forth the movement of the striker arm 13 is so timed that at the instant of the cutting operation as the knife 4 severs a slip, the arms 13 move downwardly into engagement with the slip. The movement of the striker plate, since it is rigidly attached to the same support as the arms 13 corresponds exactly with the movement of the arms so that when the trip member 37 has been actuated by the lug .42, the

striker plate 41 engages the same at the instant when a strip has been severed by the knife 4 so that the stripper which is instantly actuated upon the release of the latch 31 has a maximum time in which to discharge the slips from the magazine so that. the bars 10 may move to supporting position in time to receive the next slip delivered to the magazine. By reason of the fact that the lug 42 is carried by one of the links of the endless chain of plates A, the stripping mechanismis so timed as to discharge upon each actuation a complete series of slips, the lug 42 being so positioned that it actuates the lever 40 at the instant when the last slip of a series is being delivered into the magazine. Since the endless chain A may be of any desired length according to the number of slips in a given series, it obvious that the actuation of the stripper will be varied ac-- etl'ecting the operation of these parts willnow be described; 7

A lever 43 is pivoted to the frame on ahorizontal pivot intermediate its ends be neath the slide actuating link 29 and has an upwardly curved rear end 44 overlying the support to which the link 30 is pivoted; T he rear end of the lever 43 is connected by means of link 45 with a trip arm 46 which is pivoted to the upper end'of a clutch shift ing lever 47 and normally engages with a lug 43 upon the rear edge of the transfer carriage actuating lever 49. The clutch lever 47 has a part engageable with a clutch collar 50 upon a shaft 51which has loosely mounted thereon a constantly driven belt pulley F2. The clutch collar 50 is connected with a suitable clutch, not shown, for connecting the belt pulley 52 to the shaft 51. Uuou actuation of the stripper mechanism above described, the slide 27 in its downward movement strikes the forward end of the lever 43 swinging the same downwardly and through the link 45. shifting'the trip arm 46 upwardly until it clears the lug 48. When the trip arm 46 is released from the lug 48, the clutch lever 47 is actuated by means of a suitable spring to force the clutch into engaging position and to drive the-shaft 51 through the belt pulley The shaft 51 serves to actuate the bundle shifting wrapping and tying mechanisms. A brake disk 53 is fixed to the shaft 51 inside the driving pulley 52 and the clutch lever 47 is provided with a brake arm 54 which carries a brake shoe 55' which movedinto engagement'with the disk 53 as the clutch lever disk 56 and actuates the transfer carriage.

E through a link 61 which is connected to the carriage and to the upper end of the lever 49. i

The cam disk has a cam groove 62 upon its outer face which receives a roller 63 which is carried by a lever 64 which is'pivoted to the frame at its rear end and is connected at its forward end to the vertically movable slide of the wrapping mechanism F.

The cam disk 57 has a cam groove 65 on its inner face which receives a roller 66 at the rear end of a lever 67 which ispivoted intermediate its ends to the frame and at its forward end to a vertical connecting rod 68, which is in turn connected to one arm of a bell crank lever 69, the other arm of which is connected by means of a link 70 to the slide 71 which actuates the wire tying mechanism. The cam disk 57 has a cam groove 72 on its outer face which receives a roller 73 which is carried by a lever 74 at the rear of its pivot, the lever 74 being .connected through a yielding link 75 to a vertically sliding rack bar 7 6 which actuates the wire feeding and cutting mechanism Gr. The rear end of the lever 74 is connected to an upwardly extending link 77 to the upper end of which is connected a link 7 7 pivoted intermediate its ends upon the pivot pin connecting the stripper actuating links 29 and which form a toggle connection between the stripper slide 27 and the frame of the machine. At its forward end the link 77 has an outwardly projectingpin 77" which is engaged by the link 29 when the slide 77 is in its lowermost position. As thecam disk 57 begins its revolution, the link 77 is pulled downwardly swinging the forward end of the link 77 upwardly, causing the toggle formed by the links 29 and 30 to move toward straight position by reason of the engagement of the pin 7 7 b with the link 29, thereby moving the slide 27 together with the stripping arm 20 upwardly imtil the lug 32 is engaged by'the'latch 31 and the stripper arm is locked in its uppermost position. The upward movement of the slide 27 releases the lever 43 permitting the same .to return by gravity to its original position returning the trip arm 46 into alignment with the lug 48 on the lever 49 so that when the shaft 58 has made one complete revolution, returning the lever 49 to its original position, the lug 48 will engage the end of the trip arm 46 and disengage the drive pulley 52 from the shaft 51. Thus upon each actuation of the trip lever by the lug 42, the cams will be moved through one comp ete revolution and brought to a stop in their original position. The various actuating mechanisms are so designed that by one revolution of the cams the necessary operations are completed, the pack of slips which has been removed from the magazine has been wrapped and tied and the entire mechanism is in position to repeat the operportion 78 which is'mounted to slide upon a horizontal rod 79 which extends along the end face of the frame of the printing machine and is suitably secured thereto. Directly beneath the portion of the base 78 which receives the rod 79, the base 78 is provided with'a depending flange 80 which engages in a groove formed in the top of a guide rail 81 which is suitably secured to the end face of the printing machine frame. The carriage E moves along the rod 79 and guide rail 81 from a position directly beneath the magazine 2 to a position in which a pack of slips within the carriage is directly over the wrapping mechanism F, to receive the slips from the magazine 2 and deliver them to the wrappingmechanism. The carriage E is provided with spaced vertical standards 82 between which the slips are held, thestandards 82 being in the form of angle bars with inwardly extending flanges 82 at their rear edges which engage the rear side of a pack of slips in the carriage, the standards 82 being positioned'forward- 1y of the central portion of the base 78 of the carriage so that the spaced arms of the wrapping slide which will be hereinafter described can move vertically in front. of the central portion of the base into engagement with opposite sides of the pack of slips on the carriage. The standards 82 are provided withadjustable ledges 83 adjacent thereto upon which the ends of a pack of slips are supported. The slips are held at the front of the carriage by means of pivoted retaining plates 84 which are carried by L-shaped hinge arms 85 which are mounted upon suitable hinge pins 86 upon the outer sides of the standards 82. The plates 84 are normally held in pack engaging position by means of coil springs 87 mounted upon the hinge pins 86. The retaining plates 84 serve to retain the pack of slips .;-during the transfer thjereof to the wrapping mechanism F and are adapted to swing outwardly to release the pack after the pack has been engaged by the wrapping mechanism. 7

Upon operation of the stripper 20 the pack of slips held between the follower 5, and retaining latches 9 and 10 inthe magazine 2 is transferred through the open top of the carriage E and downwardly between the standards 82 until it rests upon the ledges 83. In order to retain the pack so transferred within the carriage and under compression, a pair of retaining'hooks 88 are provided which are mounted on pivots 89 and have hook portions 90 adapted to be projected across the top of a pack which "has been delivered to the carriage, the hooks '91 which project behind the rear edges of the standards 82 and are engaged by spring pressed plungers 92 carried by the standards 82 which serve to normally hold the retaining hooks in pack engaging position. Adjacent their upper ends the hooks 88 are provided with outturned lips 93 which project behind the rear edges of the standards 82 and carry set screws 9 1 which engagewith the rear of the standards to limit the forward movements of the hooks the set screws 94.- permitting adjustment to vary the extent of forward movement of the hooks. In order to provide means for properly receiving and retaining packs of different sizes, the pack supports 83 are attached to the upper ends of vertically movable rack bars 95 which are engaged by pinions 96 which are driven through intermediate pinions 96 from pinions 96 carried by a transverse shaft 97 journaled in the base 78 of the carriage. The shaft 97has a hand wheel 98 at its outer end by means of which it may be rotated to adjust the retaining hooks. The shaft 97 is held in adjusted position by means of a spring pressed detent 99 which engages with an one of a circumferential row of indentations 100 in the shaft 97. The shaft 97 is retained against longitudinal movement by means of a fixed pin 101 which engages within a circumferential groove 102 in the shaft.

As clearly shown in Fig. 3 when the carrings is in its rearmost position beneath the magazine 2, the hook 88 is held clear of the pack receiving channelbetween the standards 82 by means of the lever 13, the forward end of which engages with the book 88 below the pivot thereof holding the hook portions 90 in a position behind the standards 82. When the slide 27 engages the le ver 13 the lever is swung down out of en gagement with the lower end of the hook 88 and the hook 88' is released and swung by means of the spring pressed plunger 92 info pack engaging position. The hooks 88 are thus caused to engage the top of the pack at the instant when the pack is delivered to the carriage and before the stripper hook begins its upward movement to retain the pack under pressure in the carriage. The stripper hook 20 moves upwardly out of engagement with the pack before the carriage has moved forwardly sufiiciently to release the follower 5 so that there is no danger of damaging the top slip by dram ging it out from under the point 21 of the hook 20. The hooks 88 are closely adjacent the standards 82 and leave ample space between them for the follower 5 to return to the magazine as soon as the carriage E has moved forwardly a sufficient distance to move the pack off of the follower.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 12 to 15 inclusive, the wrapping mechanism is carried upon the vertically movable slide 103, the lower end of which is suitably connected to the actuating lever 64. The slide 103 is provided with a transverse slot 104. the width of which is just sufficient to receive a pack of slips supported upon the carriage. The slide has vertical arms 105 and 106 at the front and rear of the slot, the arm 105 being detachably secured in place bvineans of screws 107. Centrally of the pack receiving slot 104 there is a vertical rod 107 which extends substantially the full length of the slide 103 and is slidably mounted therein. The rod 108 carries the pack supporting block or fol-lower 109 at its upper end. the block 109 fitting slidably between the vertical arms 105 and 106. The block 109 is normally held in its uppermost position with respect to the slide by means of a long coil spring 110 surrounding the rod, bearing against the underside of the block 10 and extending to the lower end of the slide 103. the slide being bored at 111 beneath the slot 104 to receive the spring which bears at its lower end upon a bottom plate 112, which is secured to the lower end of the slide at the bottom of the bore 111. The rod 108 projects through the plate 112 and has a sliding fit therein. The rod 108 carries nuts 113 at its lower end beneath the plate112 which serve to limit the upward movement of the rod with respect to the slide and which may be adjust-ed to properly position the block 109 with respect to the upper end faces of the arms 105 and 106, the top face of the block 109 when properly positioned being normally flush with the top faces of the arms 105 and 106. On one side face thereof the block 109 has vertical ribs 11a which engage in vertical grooves formed in the inner face of the detachable arm 105. The slid-e 103 is connected to the fixed frame-work by means of an undercut slot on the inner side of the arm 106 which engage the rib 116 of a guide rail 117 suitably fixed to the framework.

The groove of the cam which actuates the lever 641 to move the slide 106 upwardly is so designed that the slide 103 starts its upward movement just after the carriage E has reached the forward end of its movement and the groove of the cam actuating the carriage lever 49 is so designed that the carriage has a dwell upon reaching the forward end of its movement. When the slide 103 moves upwardly, the block 109 will en gage the bottom of the pack which is then positioned directly over the slot 10:1. and aligned therewith. Since the pack held against upward movement by the retaining hooks 88, the block 109 will recede within the slot 104 and the arms 106 will move upwardly along the sides of the pack in the carriage, the relative movement of the block 109 being permitted by the support-- ing spring 1081 The function of the slide 103 in addition to removing the pack from the carriage E is to wrap a suitable length of wire about the bottom and sides of the pack and to position the ends of the wire to be engaged by the tying mechanism. To enable the slide to perform the wire wrapping operation, suitable wire guiding and holding means are provided which will now be described.

As shown in Figs. 11, 12 and 14, a wire guiding member 118 is detachably secured within a recess at the top of the arm 106 and is secured in place by a suitable thumb screw 119. The wire guiding member 118 eXtends horizontally and has a longitudinal bore 120 and a longitudinal slot extending the full length thereof in its upper face which communicates with the bore 120. A cylindrical wire receiving member 122 fits within the bore 120 and is provided with a longitudinal wire receiving groove 123 in which one position registers with the slot 121 of the member 118. A suitable wire guiding extension 124 (see Fig. 3) provided with a wire guiding groove in its upper face is detachably secured to the end of the wire guid ing member 118 and extends to adjacent the wire feeding mechanism Gr. Since it is do sirable to feed the lengths of wire, suitable'for bundles of different sizes, a number of extensions 124 of different lengths will be provided, the wire feeding mechanism being adj ustable toward and from the wrapping mechanism and adapted to deliver wire in different lengths as will be hereinafter explained.

The pack supporting block 109 is provided with a transverse bore 125 adjacent the top thereof and with a slot 126 extend- 111g across the top and communicating with the bore 125, the slot 126 being in alignment with the slot 121 of the wire guiding member 118. A cylindrical wire. receiving member 127 fits within the bore 125 and has a longitudinal groove 128 which in one position of the wire receiving member registers with the slot 126 in the block. A suitable wire guiding block 129 is detachably secured within a recess at the top of the arm105 of the slide and this block is provided adjacent the top thereof with a transverse bore 130 and with a slot 131 across the top thereof communicating with the bore 130. A cylindrical wire receiving and retaining member 132 fits within the bore 130 and is provided with a wire receiving groove 133 which in one position of the member 132 registers with the slot 131 of the block 129. The slots 121 in the wire guiding member 118, 126 in the block 109 and 131 in the block 129 are in alignment so that when the ment with the end 147 of the arm 146.

grooves 123,128 and 133 of the cylindrical Wire retaining members are aligned therewith, the wire is released so that the ends thereof can spring upwardly to vertical position to be engaged by the jaws of the tying mechanism.

The cylindrical wire retaining member 122 has an arm 134 rigidly secured thereto which projects through an elongated slot 135 in the lower portion of the member 118. The wire retaining member 122 is normally held in a position with its groove 123 out of alignment with the slot 121 of the member 118 by means of a lever 136, the upper end of which engages the arm 134 between the upper end portion 137 thereof, which is guided in a groove 137 formed in the under side of the overhanging top portion of the arm 106, and a leaf spring 138 attached to the inner face of the lever 136 and yieldingly holding the arm 134 against the end portion 137 of the lever. The lever 136 is fixed adjacent its lower end to a shaft 139 which extends through the slide 103 from the rear to the front thereof below the slot 104. Thelower end of the lever 136 below its pivot is engaged by a coil spring 140 held under compression within a bored boss 141 on the slide. Between the pivot of the lever 136 and the upper end thereof, the lever carries a set screw 142, the inner of which bears against the head of a pin 143 which is slidably mounted in a hole. formed in the arm 106 and bears against the rib 116 of the guide rail. The action of the compression spring 140' is to urge the lever 136 in a direction to swing t e groove 123 of the wire retaining member 122 into alignment with the slot 121 of the member 118 to re lease the wire. When the slide is at any position other than its uppermost position, this movement of the lever is prevented by the pin 142. However, when the slide approaches its uppermost position, the pin rides off the inclined end portion 144 of'the guide rail and releases the lever 136, permitting the spring 140 to swing the lever inwardly and shift the groove 123 of the wire retaining member 122 into alignment with the slot 121 thereby releasing the wire, the inward movement of the lever being limited by engagement of the arm 134 with the inner end of the slot 135.

The cylindrical wire retaining member 132 at the upper end of the arm 105 has an arm 145 which is rigiely secured thereto and projects through an elongated slot in the bottom of the block 129. This arm 145 is engaged by an arm 146 which has a rounded upper end portion 14. bearing against the arm 145 and a leaf snring 148 secured to the inner edge of the arm 146 and bearin against the arm 145 to yieldingly hold said. arm 145 in engage- The lower end of the arm 146 is fixed to the shaft- 139 which carries the lever 136 so that the arm 1416 moves with the lever 136 to move the groove 133 of the wire retaining member 132 into alignment with the slot 131 in the top of the block 129 at the same time. that the groove 123 of the wire retaining member 122 is moved into registry with the slot 121 of the member 113 so that when the slide approaches its upper limit of movement both ends of the wire are simultaneously released and permitted to spring to vertical position preparatory to the tying operation.

The wire retaining member mounted in the block 109 is provided with rigid arm 1 1-9 which projects upwardly through an elongated slot 150 in the block 109 and normally held in a position i which the groove 128 of the retaining in her 127 is out of registry with the t 126 in the block 109 by means of a compression spring 151 mounted in a suitable bore in they block 109 and bearing against the underside of the arm 149. A suitable c op pin in the slot 150 limits the upward movement of the arm. The upper portion of the arm 1479 normally projects above the top face of the blo 109 and, when the slide 103 is moved to i the arm 1 19 engages the bottom of the pact: of slips in the carriage E and forced downwardly into the slot 150 until. its upper edge is flush with the top surface of the bl ck. In this position the groove 123 in the retaining member 127 registers with the slot 126 in the block 109 and the wire is free to move upwardly into engagement with the bottom of the pack.

As the slide 103 moves upwardly the pack engaging block 109 moves upwardly with the slide until it engages the bottom of the pack, the pack being rigidly held against upward movementby the retaining hooks 88, the block 109 then recedes within the slot 104: and the arms 105 and 106 move up along opposite sides of the pack. During the upward movement of the slide the opposite ends of the wire are held within the retaining members carried by the upper ends of the arms 105 and 106 and as the block 109 recedes within the slot, the wire is drawn down into the slot and guided vertically along the sides of the pack. hen the slide has just about reached its upper limit of movement, the wire will have been wrapped around the bottom and sides of the pack at the center thereof and the ends of the wire will now be released and will spring to vertical position so that they can be engaged by the jaws of the tying mechanism. The movement of the carriage is so timed that while the arms 105 and 106 are engaging the front and rear sides of the pack, the carriage will begin its return movement. The yielding retaining plates 84 upon rearward movement of the carriage will swing outwardly clear of the ends of the pack freeing the carriage from the pack.

Referring to Figsz3 and 16 to 19 inclusive of the drawing, the wire feeding and cut ting mechanism G is carried by a suitable casing 153 which has a horizontally extending guide boss 15% on its inner side which is bored to receive a fixed cylindrical rod 155 upon which the casing 153 slides. The casing 153 is guided adjacent its lower end by means of depending flanges 156 and 157 which engage with the flange of a suitableguide rail 153 which is suitably secured to the frame of the machine. The casing 153 carries upon the outside thereof upper and lower wire feeding rolls 159 and 160, the bight of which is in horizontal alignment with the groove of the wire guiding members of the wrapping mechanism F when the slide 103 is in its lowermost position. The upper rol 159 is rotatably mounted upon a transverse shaft 161 which is carried by standards 162 upon the top of the casing 153. The shaft 161 has retaining nuts 163 and 163* bearing against the inner face of the innermost standard 162 and againstthe hub of the roll 159 respectively. A collar 164 roceives the shaft 161 between the standards 162 and has an integral arm 165 connected at its lower end by a pivot 166 to the top portion of the casing. The collar 16% carries a set screw 167 which engages with the shaft 161 to hold the shaft against rotation. By adjusting the nuts 163 and 163 and locking the same in adjusted position, the roll 169 may be positioned in proper alignment with the lower wire feeding roll 160. The lower roll 160 is upon the outer side of the casing 153 and is fixed to a horizontal shaft 168 which is journaled in bearing bosses 169 and 169 formed upon the rear and front walls respectively of the casing 153. Front and rear wire guiding members 170 and 171 integral with the casing 153 are disposed opposite the bight of the rolls 159 and 160 in the front and rear thereof and are provided with conical wire receiving apertures 172 and 173 leading from and to the rolls. The wire is fed to the rolls from a suitable reel not shown and is severed after a suitable length thereof has been fed by means of a cutter which will hereinafter be described which moves across the front face of the front of the wire guiding member 170.

The lower feed roll 160 is driven from the vertical rack bar 76 through gearing mounted upon a horizontal shaft 174 which e2;- tends through the casing 153 from the front to the rear thereof and adjacent the center. lVithin the casing 153, a sleeve 175 is rotatably mounted upon the shaft 17 1 and carries a gear 176 which meshes with the teeth of the vertically movable rack bar 76 so that the sleeve 175 is rotated in one direction while the rack bar 7 6 is moved upwardly and in the opposite direction when the rack bar 76 is moved downwardly. The sleeve 175 errtends from. adjacent the rear wall of the casing 153 toward the front wall thereof and between the forward end of the sleeve 175 and the front wall of the casing there is rotatably mounted upon the shaft 174 alarge gear 17 7 which has a ratchet wheel 178 rigidly attached to its inner side. The sleeve 175 has an arm 17 9 attached to its forward end'between the gear 176 and the ratchet 17 8, which arm has a pawl 180 pivoted the reto at its.

outer end which is adapted to engage with the teeth of the ratchet 17 8 and is engaged by a leaf spring 181 which tends to force the pawl into engagement with the ratchet teeth. The teeth of the ratchet 178 are so disposed that they are engaged by the pawl 180v to rotate the ratchet and with it the gear 177 during the upward movement of'the rack bar 76, the pawl 180 riding over the teeth of the ratchet during the downward movement of the rack bar 76. The gear 17 7 meshes with a gear 182 which is fixed to the shaft168 to which the lower wire feeding roll 160 isattached so that during the upward movement of the rack bar 76 the feed roll 160 is driven to feed a suitable length of wire to the wrapping mechanism.

In order to deliver pieces of, wire' of a length suitable for the. size of bundle [being wrapped, means are provided for varying the extentof movement of the feedingroll 160 upon the upward movement of therack bar 76. To this end an arcuate ratchet guard 183 which overlies a portion of the periphery of the ratchet 178 is fixed to'the shaft 174 between the ratchet 17 8 and'the outer end of the sleeve 17 5. A crank 184 is attached to the shaft 174 outside the casing 153 and has a handle 185 which is provided with a suitable spring pressed locking pin 186 which is adapted to engage with any one of an arcuate row of apertures 187 in the casing wall. By means of the crank 184, the arcuate guard 183 can be adjusted so that any desired portion thereof is in advance of the position of the pawl 180 when the rack 76 is in its lowermostposition so that the pawl 180 will ride over the surface of the guard 183 during' any desired portion of the upward movement of the rack bar and the rotary movement of the feed roll 160 will be varied'accordingly. It is necessary not only that different lengths of.

wire be fed to the wrapping mechanism, but it is also necessary that the length of wire so delivered be centered with respect to the pack engaging block 109 so that equal lengths of wire will project upwardly upon opposite sides of the pack to be engagedby the tying mechanism. To accomplish this result, means are providedfor adpust ng the wire feeding mechanism forwardly slide 191.

the wrapping mechanism a distance proportional to the length of the pieces of wire being delivered to the wrapping mechanism, in the form of a gear 188, fixed to the shaft 174 at the rear end thereof outside the casing, which meshes with rack teeth 189 formed upon the under side of the guide rod 155, whereby, when the crank 184 is adjusted to vary the movement of the feed roll 160, the entire wire feeding mechanism will be moved forwardly or backwardly a proportionate distance. For severing the wire after the roll 160 has completed its feeding movement, a cutter slide 191 is mounted to move across the front face of the wire guide 170. The cutter slide 191 is slidablein upper and lower bosses 192 projecting'from the front face of the casing 153, and is held against turning movement by means of a pin 193 attached thereto and working in a vertical slot 194 in the lower upper end against the lower side of the upper guide boss 192 and at its lower end upon a collar 196 suitably 'secured'to the The lower end of the slide 191 is engaged by an actuating lever 197 which has a limited pivotal movement and serves to limit the downward movement of the slide. The lever 197 is mounted on a pivot pin 198 which passes through the lever intermediate its ends and is carried by a'suitable bracket 199 fixed to the under side of the casing 153. The'inner end of the lever 197 is engaged by an actuating pin 200 which is 'slidable vertically within the casing and is positioned in alignment with the pawl arm 179 through which the wire feeding roll-is actuated. The pin 200 has a head201 at its lower end which engages with the bottom ofthe casing 153 to limitithe upward movement of the pin andthe head 201 is engaged by a set screw 202 in the rear end 'of the lever 197. By adjusting the set screw 202 the throw of the cutter-slide 191 maybe adjusted. For actuating the vertical ,pin 200, the ratchet arm 17 9 has a radially disposed spring pressed plunger 203 which projects beyond the outer end of the arm and is pressed outwardly by means of a suitable coil'spring 204, the outward movement of the plunger 203 being limitedby a suitable setscrew 205 in the arm 179 which engages a suitable groove in the plunger. During the upward movement ofthe rack bar 76, the arm 179 swings downwardly beneath the shaft 174 and forwardly toward the pin 200 untilthe spring pressed 'plun ger203 engages with the pin 200 and springs "into a notch 206 in. the upper portion ofthej pm 200. The angularinovment of the arm.

17 9 during the upward movement of the rack bar 76 is just sufficient to bring the plunger 203 into engagement with the notch 206 of the pin 200. As above explained, the upward movement of the rack bar 76 actu ates the wire feeding mechanism to feed forward a given length of wire. Immediately upon the beginning of the downward movement of the rack bar 76, the plunger 203 forces the pin 200 downwardly, rocking the lever 197 about its pivot 1'98 and forcing the cutter slide 191 upwardly so that its cutting edge moves across the wire feeding aperture 172, severing the wire. After a limited downward movement, the plunger 203 moves out of engagement with the notch 206 in the pin 200 and the spring 195 returns the cutter slide 191, the lever 197 and the actuating pin 200 back to their normal position.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 20 to 23 inelusive, the wire tying mechanism is carried by a casing 207 attached to a fixed supporting bracket 208 mounted upon the framework of the machine. The function of the tying mechanism is to grip the vertically disposed ends of the wire that have been wrapped about a pack of slips by the wrapping mechanism F and to tie the wire by twisting the ends together. The tying mechanism consists of a pair of wire grip ping jaws 209 which are first actuated to grip the wire and then rotated to twist the same. The jaws 209 are suspended from horizontal pivot pins 210 mounted in a rotatable casing 211 supported beneath the easing 207. The upper ends of the jaws 209 have lugs 212 projecting outwardly from the pivots 210 which are adapted to be engaged by downwardly projecting lugs 213 carried by a slide block 214: in the casing 211, the block 214 being attached to the lower end of a cylindrical slide 215 in a vertical bore formed in the casing. The casing 207 has a lower section 216 in which the slide 215 is mounted and an upper section 218 to which the lower section 216 is attached by means of bolts 219. The upper section 218 has an enlarged bore 220 directly over the bore in the lower section2l6 in which the slide 215 is mounted and the slide 215 is provided with a collar 221 rigidly secured at its upper end within the bore 220 and engageable with the lower section 216' of the casing to limit the downwardmovement of the slide 215. The slide 215 has an axial bore 222 from the upper end thereof, which receives-a hollow cylindrical slide 223 which normally .XtQIlClS to the top of the bore 222 and has a plug 224- closing its upper end. .The cylindrical slide 223 is supported in the bore 222 by means of a compression coil spring 225 which bears at its up'perend against the under side of the slide 223 and at its lower end upon the bottom of the bore 222. Within the bore 220 in the upper section 218 of the casing'is mounted a slide 226which is provided with a. transverse slot in its upper face to receive the actuating slide bar 71 andhas pins 228 projecting into the slot from opposite sides thereof and engaging in cam forming grooves in opposite faces of the slide bar 71. The cams formed in the sides of the slide bar 71 have inclined end portions 229 and 230 at the front and rear ends thereof, the inclined faces 229 engaging the pins 228 to force the slide 226 downwardly and the inclined faces 230 engaging the pins 223 upon the return movement of the slide 71 to lift the slide 226. During the forward stroke of the slide 71 the vertically moving slide 226 is forced to its lowermost position. pressing the hollow slide 223 downwardly and through the spring 225, depressing-the slide 215 which carries the lugs 213 which actuate the gripping jaws. Thus during the forward movement of the slide 71, the jaws 209 are moved to and held in wire gripping position, the spring 225 serving. to transmit a yielding pressure to thejawssothat they will not out the wire. 1 i

For returning the jaws to open position after they have been released by the return movement of the slide 71, a hollow cylindri cal slide 231 is mounted in a eounterbore at the bottom of'the slide 215 and has a pin 231 sli'dable therein and projecting below the lower end thereof. The pin 232 is disposed centrally with respect to the jaw pivots 21 and has a head 233 at its lower end which engages in notches233 formed in the portions of the jaws 209 between the pivots 210. The pin- 232 is held at all times in en gagcment with the notches 233 by means of a coil spring 23 1 within the. hollow slide 231 which bears against the upper end of the pin. The upper. end of the hollow slide engages with a pin 235 which is slidablc through the lower end of the upper hollow slide 223 and has a head 236 within the interior of the slide 223 which limits the downward movement of the pin andwhich is normally pressed against the bottom of the bottom of the slide 223 by means of a coil spring 237 which isinterposed between the plug 22 and the head 233 ofthe pin.

When the slide 215 is moved downwarlly to close the jaws 209, the pin is moved upwardly against the action of the spring 234 within the slide 231 and is additionally cushioned by means of the sprin 237 within the upperhollow slide 223 so that should the pin 232 bind within the slide 231, the slide 231 can move bodily against the pressure of the spring 237.

For imparting rotary niovement .to the jaws 209 the :upper end of the slide 215 has formed therein elongated gear teeth 238 which are in sliding mesh with a gear fixed to a vertical shaft 240 at one side a T u 1 the slide. The shaft 240 has an enlarged upper end 2A1 which rotates within an enlarged bore in the upper section 218 of the casing and which has formed therein adjacent its upper end, gear teeth 242 which mesh with a rack 243 which is actuated by the slide 71. F or actuating the rack bar the slide 71 has spaced rearwardly projecting arms 2A4 projecting inwardly therefrom which are adapted to engage with an arm '25 attached to the rack bar 243 and projecting up 'ardly through an elongated slot 246 in the top of the casing. The arms 241 are spaced apart a suliicient distance to provide a certain amount of lost motion between the slide 71 and the rack bar 2 13 so that the rack bar 2413 is not actuated in a forward direction until after the slide 71 has moved far enough to cause the jaws 209 to grip the wire, and the rack bar 248 is not shifted rearwardly until after the slide bar 71 has moved rearwardly far enough to release the jaws 209 so that the rotary novement of the jaws 209 does not commence until the jaws have firmly gripped the wire and the reverse rotation of the jaws does not occur until after the jaws have been actuated to release the wire. The arms 2% have-set screws 2 17 which engage with the rack bar arms 24:5 and which may be adjusted to vary the extent of .movement of the rack bar 243 to give more or fewer twists to the wire. Rigidly attached to the lower section 216 of the casing and projecting downwardly therefrom are wire guides 248 which have horizontal lower portions 249 bent inwardly beneath the wire gripping jaws 209. The portions 2A9 of the wire guides are disposed upon opposite sides of the axis of rotation of the jaws and are provided with inclined portions 250 which serve to guide the wire inwardly toward the axis of rotation of the jaws and with abutments 251 at their inner ends which are disposed parallel with the wire guides and which serve to hold the wire'centrally upon'the pack while the, wire is beingtwisted by the tying mechanism. The abutments 251 prevent the wire from being shifted angularly across the top of the pack and causes the wire to be drawn down against the top of the pack in the plane of the portions of the wire extending around the slides and bottom'of the pack.

In the operation of the machine the deired number of plates will be connected in the endless chain A and the lug42 will be placed upon the last plate of the series, the lever L0 being so disposed that it will be engaged by the lug A2'as the last slip of each series is delivered to the magazine 2. At the instant each slip is severed by the knife 1, it will be engaged by the striker ans 18 and'forced down in the magazine past the latches 9 into engagement with the slips accumulated upon the follower 5. This operation is continued until the last slip of a sedes is delivered to the magazine whereupon the lug 42 will engage the trip lever 40 to effect the release of the stripper 20. Since this machine is very rapid in its operation, the slips being delivered to the magazine 2 at the rate of 1000 or more per minute, it is necessary that the movement of the stripper be timed with extreme ac curacy in order to enable the magazine to be completely emptied and the parts returned to receiving position in time to receive the succeeding slip when it has been severed by the knife 4. Means have therefore been'provided to release the stripper arm 20 at the instant when the last slip of a'series has been severed. 'To accomplish this result the trip lever 10 is connected to the trip member 37 which is moved intothe path of the striker plate 41 instead of being directly connected to the stripper releasing means, the striker plate ll being positioned to always'engage the trip arm 37 when the same is in tripping position at' the instant when a strip has been severe l. Upon release of the stripper arm 20, it is jerked down by the strong spiral spring 30 and moved inwardly into engagement with the pack by the cam 25 carrying the follower 5 down into the carriage E until the ends of the pack are engaged by the adjustablesupporting ledges 83. At the end of its downward movement, the stripper slide 27 engages the lever 43 and releases the retaining hooks 88 on the carriage which spring into engagement with the pack so that the pack is securely held upon the upward movement of the stripper hook 20 which immediately follows. At the same time the cam shaft 58 starts its rotation, the clutch 50 having been thrown in by the means hereinbefore described. At he instant the cams begin their revolution, the stripper is returned to uppermost position and reset by 'means of the links 77 and 77 connected to the rear end of the cam actuated lever 7 1. As the carriage E is moved forwardly it carries the pack of slips off of the follower 5 so that the follower 5 can be snapped back by its spring to receiving position. At the beginning of the revolution of the cams the wire feedingmechanism is also started into operation to deliver a suitable length of wire to the wrapping mechanism, the wire from the feeding mechanism moving into the wrap ping mechanism from one side thereof and the transfer carriage carrying the pack toward the wrapping mechanism from the opposite side thereof. To prevent interference between'the wire projecting through the wire guides of the wrapping mechanism and the transfer carriage, a suitable fixed sup port plate 253 extends from the wrapping- I "WELILl movement.

mechanism through the lower portion of the carriage E beneath the pack supported by the ledges The end of the wire which is fed through the wrapping mechanism rests upon the plate which is spaced sufficiently beneath the ledges 83 in any position thereof so that there is no danger of the wire engaging the pack. The cam controlling themovement of the carriage E so designed that the carriage moves over the slide 103 of the wrapping mechanism and remains stationary until the slide 103 has completed its upward movement, so that the pack is firmly held by the hooks 88 of the carriage while the wire is being wrapped about the pack. The cam controlling the operation of the wire feeding means is so designed that a piece of wire of the de sired length has been fed to the wrapping mechanism and severed before the slide 103 of the wrapping mechanism begins its up- The cam controlling the operation of the wrapping mechanism starts the upward movement of the slide 103 at the instant when the wire feeding operation is completed and the slide 103 in its move ment wraps the wire about the bottom and sides of the bundle, the end portions of the wire being held within the retaining members 122- and 132 until the slide has completed its upward movement and then released as hereinbefore explained. The operation of the wire tying mechanism begins when the slide 103 has reached its uppermost position and the ends of the wire have sprung to vertical position, the tying operation being performed while the carriage E is returning to receiving position. lVhile the stripper 20 is delivering the pack from the magazine 2 to the carriage E and while the follower 5 is moving down into the carriage and returning to its uppermost posi tion in the magazine, the first slips of the succeeding series are delivered into the magazine and are retained upon the spring actuated bars 10 which will retain a sufticient number of slips to give the follower ample time in which to return to receiving position before the slips are forced past the bars 10.

l fhenever the endless chain of plates A is built up with a greater or less number of plates, the proper tripping of the stripper is taken care of by th position of the actuating lug 42 but it is necessary if there is a considerable variation in the number of plates to make certain adjustments in the other mechanisms to accommodate larger or smaller packs. The carriage E is adjusted to accommodate packs of differentsizes by means of the vertical rack bars 8e which carry the pack supporting ledges 83 and which may be adjusted to dispose the ledges 83 at the proper height to accommodate the pack between said ledges and the hooks 88 by means of the hand wheel 98. In connection with the wrapping mechanism F, the only ustment necessary is to substitute a longer or shorter wire guide extension 124, a suitable number of such extensions being carried in stock and an extension of suitable'length for a given run being attached to the arm 106. The wire feeding mechanism is adjusted to feed different lengths of wire and is moved bodily toward a ad from the wrapping mechanism 1* so that the pieces of wire delivered there from will be properly centered with respect to the wrapping mechanism by means of the adjustable crank 18% controlling both the adjustment of the ratchet guard for varying the extent of movement of the wire feet ing rolls and the shifting of the wire feeding mechanism along the guide bar 155.

Having described my invention, 1 claim- 1. The con'ibination with a slip receiving 11 igazine, of means for feeding a continuous sheet material toward said magast 1p of zine, a cutter at one side of the magazine for cutting said strip into slips of predetermined lei g h, and an oscillating striker having a direct mechanical connection with the cutter and oscillated thereby to engage and force each slip into the magazine after it is severed by the cutter.

The combination with a slip receiving magazine, of means for continuously feeding slips thereto, means for periodically and automatically removing a predetermined number of slips from the magazine, and means controlling the operation of the slip removing means which is adjustable to vary the number of slips removed at each operation of the slip removing means.

The combination with a magazine, of means for continuously feeding slips thereto, a yieldin follower in the magazine, slip retaining means engaging the slips to hold them in engagement with the follower, means for feeding the slips into the space between the retaining means and follower, and means for removing from themagazine the slips held against the follower during an interval between the feeding of successive slips to the magazine.

4-. The combination with a magazine, of means for continuously feeding slips thereto at a uniform rate, and an oscillating striker having a positive driving connection with the slip feeding means and oscillated thereby to strike each slip at the instant when it is delivered to the magazine.

5. The combination with a magazine, of means for continuously feeding slips edgewise into the magazine, and oscillating striker moving in a plane at right angles to the movement of the slips in entering the magazine, said striker having a crank and link connection with a part driven from the feeding means and timed to strike slip- Hill at the instant when it is delivered to the magazine.

6. The combination with a vertically disposed magazine, of means for feeding slips horizontally into the magazine, a horizontally disposed rock shaft at one side of the magazine, said shaft having a crank and link connection with a part driven from the feeding means, and a striker arm carried by said shaft, said strikerarm being movable from a position above the point of entry of the slips and the movement thereof being so timed with respect to the feeding means that it is moved downwardly into engagement with each slip at the instant when the slip has completely entered the magazine. g

7. The combination with a magazine, of means for continuously delivering slips to the magazine. a reciprocating ejector for periodically removing a pack of slips from the magazine, a trip controlling the actuation of the ejector, and means driven from the feeding means for actuating the trip.

8. The combination with a magazine, of means for continuously delivering slips to the magazine, means for periodically emptying the magazine, a trip controlling the slip removing means, means driven from the feeding means for actuating the trip and means controlled by a moving part of the feeding means for causing said trip actuating means to engage the trip.

9. The combination with a printing machine having a series of plates and means for successively moving the plates into engagement with a continuously moving strip of sheet material to print upon successive lengths of the strip, of a cutter at the discharge end of the machine for severing the strip in the spaces between the printed matter to form slips, a magazine adjacent the cutter to receive the slips, means for feeding the slips into the magazine, means for discharging slips from the magazine, and means controlled by the movement of the plates for controlling the operation of the slip discharging means.

10. The combination with a printing machine having a series of printing elements and means for successively moving said elements to printing position for continuously printing successive series of slips, each series comprisinga predetermined number of slips, of a magazine to receive the slips from the printing machine, and means controlled by the printing machine for discharging each series of sl'ps separately from the magazine.

'11. The combination with a printing machine having a series of printing elements and means for successively moving said elements to printing position for printing successive series of slips upon a continuously moving strip of sheet material, of means for severing the slips, means for feeding the severed slips into a magazine, and means controlled by the prin'ting..machine, for dis charging each series of slips separately from the magazine. I

12. The combination with a printing ma chine having a series of printing elements and means for successively moving said elements to printing position for continuously printing successive series of slips, ofa magazine to receive the slips, means for feeding the slips to the magazine, and means forre 'moving each series of slips from the magazine during the interval betweenthe delivery of the last slip of a series to the magazine and the entry of the first slip of the next series thereto.

18. The combination with a printing machine having a series of printing elements and means for successively moving said elements to printing position for printing successive series of slips upon a continuously moving strip of sheet material, of means for severing slips and delivering them to a magazine, and means for removing each series of slips from the magazine during the interval between the delivery of the last slip of a series to the magazine and the entry of the first slip of the next series thereto.

14. The combination with a printing machine having continuously driven printing means having a series of printing elements and means for successively'moving said. elements to printing position for continuously printing successive series of slips andcontinuouly driven means for feeding a strip of sheet material to the printing means, of means for severing the strip in the spaces between the printed matter thereon, a magazine to receive the slips so formed, and means controlled by the printing means for periodically discharging each series of slips in a pack from the magazine. I

' 15; The combination with a printing ma chine having means for continuously printing slips, a magazine to receive the slips, means driven from the printing machine for feedingthe slips from the printing machine into the magazine, means for discharging the slips at intervals from the magazine, a trip controlling the operation of the discharging means, and means controlled by the printing means for periodically causing said trip to be actuated by said feeding means.

16. The combination with a printing machine having means for continuously printing successive series of slips, a magazine to receive the slips, means for feeding the slips from the printing machine into the magazine, means for discharging each series of slips separately from the magazine, a' trip controlling the actuation of the discharging means, and means controlled by the printmg means for actuatingsaid trip. 

